Internal combustion engines use a combination of fuel and oxygen (generally obtained from the ambient air) in a combustion reaction that powers such engines. A stoichiometric air-fuel mixture ratio has just enough air to completely burn the available fuel. In practice this ideal ratio is difficult to achieve, and air-fuel ratios that are richer or leaner than the stoichiometric ratio can cause an engine to emit excess pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and various hydrocarbons.
Some types of internal combustion engines, such as Natural Gas Fired Internal Combustion Engines (NG ICE), are commonly mounted at stationary sites (e.g., at a natural gas well or a natural gas pumping station) and are subject to rigorous compliance with Air Regulatory Permits or other governmental regulations requiring reduction of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons. Normal field operation of these engines creates varying engine loads, engine speeds, ambient conditions, and fuel gas compositions that make it challenging to continuously comply with Air Regulatory Permits without manual user intervention.
In some circumstances, operators for such stationary engines use mapping techniques to establish a table/map of air-fuel ratio set points for varying locations/conditions in an effort to provide greater periods of compliance. In other words, a user physically visits each internal combustion engines that is operating at the various sites, and uses an emissions analyzing tool to manually input a set point for the air-fuel ratio of that engine based upon the engine's location and ambient conditions. Some mapping solutions require the user to define the map, while other solutions are supplied from the manufacturer with a pre-calibrated map defined for specific engine makes/models. However, when an engine is moved from a first operation site to a new operation site (e.g., moved to a new natural gas well or pumping location), the new location can create the need for a new set point to be manually input by the installer based upon a new map defined either by the manufacturer of the control solution or the user.